Minecraft Story Mode Season Two: Episode One

If you buIld It… 

- Martin kitts

Weaving a plot around a game that’s effectively nothing more than a vast sandbox can’t be a particularly easy task. How can a single story or character possibly encompass the countless different experiences you may have within the make-your-own-fun world of Minecraft?

If you’ve only ever played it as a sort of collaborative virtual Lego set, you might not recognize the bustling society Telltale’s writers have conjured within Minecraft’s borderless, goalless expanse. It’s an Indiana Jones-ish treasure hunt set in a kind of blocky utopia where everyone’s purpose in life seems to be to create and admire awesome builds. The entire population lives and breathes Minecraft.

As Jesse, principal architect, adventurer, savior, and leader of Beacontown, you’re the object of the citizens’ devotion/envy. It’s a strange position to be in, like you’re some sort of demigod who just happens to live next door to a bunch of ordinary folk. Some characters believe in hidden deities who direct their actions, while cameo appearances from the chunky avatars of actual prominent YouTubers only serve to hammer at the fourth wall and amp up the surreality.